Do you believe in miracle weight-loss supplements? Of course not. No one does. But nutritionist Judith Stern, Sc.D., recently authored a paper that reads like a fairy tale. So she gets asked probing questions about it. “The results are the results, that’s why you do the study,” Stern told Runner's World Newswire. “And then you move on to the next study.”

Published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, the report describes a study conducted on 100 subjects in India that followed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. This approach is often termed “the gold standard” for research studies. The results are eye-popping.

The paper begins cautiously: “Obesity arises from an imbalance in energy consumption over energy expenditure.” There it is, the classic calories-in/calories-out equation. The paper likewise notes that “American consumers spent more than $1.6 billion on weight-loss supplements” in 2005. However, many of these supplements “are under scrutiny, because they lack the scientific evidence to support their claims.”

It appears that Stern, a professor emeritus in the nutrition department at the University of California, Davis, and her coauthors are as dubious as most of us. Still, you gotta do the study first.

In this case, the subjects received either two placebo pills daily, or two pills filled with a mixture of two herbs. They also received identical, free meals (2,000 calories/day), and walked for 30 minutes a day under supervision. The daily calories in the meals were 61% carbs, 14% protein, and 25% fat. All subjects were obese, with BMIs between 30 and 40. The study lasted eight weeks, with subjects evenly divided between the two conditions.

The subjects receiving placebo pills lost an average of 3.3 pounds. Those receiving the herbal blend lost significantly more--an average of 11.5 pounds. The difference between the two groups was significantly greater just two weeks into the study, and the pounds-lost gap widened the rest of the way.

The study and another, referenced below, were supported by an “unrestricted grant” from InterHealth Neutraceuticals, the company that holds a global license for Meratrim, the supplement used in the study. It's not uncommon for companies to fund independent research. Stern received no payment from InterHealth, and holds no stake in the company.

In addition to the difference in pounds lost, those receiving the herbal blend lost more around the waist and hips. This implies that they were losing “visceral fat”--the harmful fat that’s associated with diabetes and similar health issues. The herbal-blend group also enjoyed significantly more improvement in fasting blood sugar, and had lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. More subjectively, in response to a questionnaire, they reported more quality-of-life improvement than the placebo group as a result of improved health.

All subjects were given electrocardiograms at the beginning and end of the eight-week period. There were no significant changes for any subjects, but those receiving the herbal blend had fewer “minor variations” at the end than the beginning of the study.

So where’s the bad news? Stern and her collaborators from the Alluri Sitarama Raju Academy of Medical Sciences in Eluru, India, didn’t find any. They looked, but nothing turned up in blood tests for heart, liver, or kidney function, or in vital signs. No subject in either group experienced anything but minor adverse effects, and these were evenly distributed between the two groups.

The study authors acknowledge, “Since the studies described here are of relatively short duration, longer-term trials are needed.” Nonetheless, they conclude, “Our findings suggest that the herbal blend appears to be a well-tolerated and effective ingredient for weight management.”

The herbs blended together in Meratrim come from the flowers of the East Indian globe thistle, and the rind of the purple mangosteen. “These were identified by our partners in India,” says Zain Saiyed, Ph.D., manager of research and development at InterHealth Neutraceuticals. “They screened more than 100 medicinal herbs and found that Sphaeranthus indicus [the thistle] and Garcinia mangostana [the mangosteen] appeared to have the greatest effect on fat cells.”

An earlier paper on Meratrim was published in the journal Obesity. That paper devoted more attention to explaining the transcription factors, amino acids, and enzymes that apparently contribute to the Meratrim results. “Basically, the herbal blend may reduce the body’s accumulation of fatty cells, and also may assist in fat-burning,” says InterHealth vice president of research and development, James Lugo, Ph.D. "We’re not saying Meratrim is a magic bullet, but we believe it can help people achieve a lifestyle that includes healthy weight, exercise, and a good diet.”

A number of retail supplement companies have begun using Meratrim in new products. Read labels carefully: Companies are free to add other ingredients to Meratrim, and several have included tea and coffee extracts, among other things. Meratrim itself does not contain any caffeine.

Longtime Runner’s World nutrition editor Liz Applegate, Ph.D., also in the UC-Davis nutrition department, has reviewed both papers. She says, “They’re solid, and they delve into an interesting area of research on plant compounds that are anti-adipogenic [fat inhibiting] and lipolytic [fat burning].”